City to apply for federal grants

April 10, 2007|BY DAN DEARTH

HAGERSTOWN - The City of Hagerstown will apply for $2 million in grants from the federal government to help pay construction costs for four proposed projects, according to Kathleen Maher, the city's planning director.

The projects include extending Eastern Boulevard, building a bridge from Haven Road to Marshall Street and constructing fire stations on the city's north and west ends.

Maher said the city will apply for $500,000 per project from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal agency that offers financial assistance to several programs that include upgrading municipal infrastructures.

Applicants typically are placed on a waiting list for a few years until funding becomes available, so the city probably won't get the money this year, Maher said.

Advertisement

The deadline to file applications is April 14.

According to city documents, the cost to extend Eastern Boulevard from Antietam Drive to Leitersburg Pike at the Marsh Pike intersection is about $5.87 million. The project would reduce traffic congestion on nearby portions of Md. 60.

City Assistant Engineer Jim Bender said the connector bridge from Haven Road to Marshall Street probably would extend over railroads there.

The proposed bridge would cost about $5.2 million and reduce traffic on Salem Avenue, according to city documents.

Construction of the two fire stations is estimated to cost about $5.3 million - $2.8 million for the station in the North End and $2.5 million for the one in the West End, city documents show.

The proposed locations of the fire stations haven't been decided at this point, according to city documents. The stations are needed to increase service and public safety.